While retailers have been celebrating Christmas for weeks, most households are only now unpacking their decorations. The pressure to create a perfect festive atmosphere can feel overwhelming, but professional window-dressers - known as visual merchandisers - reveal their secrets for achieving magical results without breaking the bank.
Planning Makes Perfect
Planning spans a full year in the retail world, with Christmas never far from professionals' minds. Lisa Clemenger, Visual Concepts Manager at Liberty in London, confirms this extended preparation period. Meanwhile, at Jarrolds department store in Norwich, Head of Visual Merchandising Julie Blanch reveals that planning for Christmas 2026 will begin in January 2024.
Establishing a cohesive theme forms the foundation of successful decorating. Liberty London celebrates the unsung heroes of Christmas - the elves who make the magic happen this year, while Jarrolds has adopted a handpicked motif featuring illuminated hands selecting presents. Julia Jeuvell, owner of Choosing Keeping stationery shop, has created an extravagant 1980s US Christmas theme with a tree featuring 1,000 decorations.
Creating Your Festive Scheme
Choosing a consistent colour palette ensures visual harmony throughout your decorative scheme. Everything has to visually flow, explains Clemenger, who uses ribbon to refresh existing decorations with fresh accent colours. Whether you prefer maximalist or understated approaches, professionals advise committing fully to your chosen style.
Paula Ellis, Global Visual Merchandising Manager at Toast, describes the ideal festive home as quietly festive - not loud, but layered, warm and welcoming. Meanwhile, Blanch champions the more is more philosophy for Christmas decorating.
Mastering the Christmas Tree
Selecting and decorating your tree requires careful consideration. Clemenger, who sometimes displays seven trees in her home, advises checking for good shape in fresh trees and thorough fluffing for artificial ones. For sparse trees, she recommends filling gaps with additional foliage for depth and texture.
Decoration collection and placement significantly impact your tree's appearance. Jeuvell prefers antique and unusual ornaments, while Clemenger hunts for vintage glass decorations in charity shops throughout the year. Place decorations not only on the tips but also midway and deep inside the branches for a fuller, more luxurious effect, Clemenger suggests.
Tree care proves equally important. While Clemenger typically decorates in early December, Jeuvell recommends waiting until mid-December for natural trees and ensuring proper hydration before bringing them indoors.
Beyond the Tree: Creative Decorating
Professional decorators emphasize looking beyond the traditional Christmas tree. Ellis recommends bringing the outside in with suspended branches dressed with paper garlands. Blanch and her colleagues create striking displays using handmade paper chains, easily replicated at home with paper strips and a stapler.
DIY projects offer budget-friendly alternatives to expensive shop-bought items. Clemenger, a trained florist, creates wreaths using empty frames, gathered baubles, ribbon and greenery secured with florist wire. Brown paper and ribbon make effective, classy gift wrapping, while Jeuvell has made her own Christmas crackers following YouTube tutorials.
Sustainability remains a key consideration. Ellis advises resisting the urge to buy new decorations and instead reinterpreting existing items. Don't discard broken decorations, says Clemenger, suggesting they be displayed in bowls with damaged sides hidden. Beautiful gift ribbons can be reused on trees, wreaths and doors.
Lighting and Final Touches
Lighting transforms festive decor dramatically. Clemenger recommends fine wire or cluster lights zigzagged from branch tips to trunk for maximum impact. Ellis emphasizes using low, soft light to create welcoming ambience, while Clemenger considers candlelight the final magic touch that makes everything feel warm and inviting.
Dining table decoration completes the festive transformation. Clemenger layers bold Liberty silk tablecloths with charity-shop-found vessels containing foliage, flowers and candles. Jeuvell prefers simpler approaches focused on food and wine, while Blanch recommends laying the table on Christmas Eve to reduce stress on the day itself.
Ultimately, professionals agree that perfection matters less than personal joy and charm. Ellis celebrates a slightly crumpled napkin or a wonky candle - that's where the charm lives, reminding us that the true spirit of Christmas decorating lies in creating warm, welcoming spaces for loved ones.
